assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt 
plural assailants
: a person who attacks someone violently
an assault by an unknown assailant
She could identify the assailant and his two accomplices, and she wanted to press charges.—
Jennifer Baumgardner
Jennifer BaumgardnerDetectives speculated that she may have been punched on the chin, perhaps knocked unconscious by her assailant.—Joseph Wambaugh
Joseph Wambaugh
Examples of assailant in a Sentence
the darkness prevented me from getting a good look at my assailant
Recent Examples on the Web
Then another potential assailant emerged that his campaign was ready to talk about.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 4 Oct. 2024
Moments later, the assailant shot Marlene in the mouth and calmly walked to the LeBaron parked in the driveway and drove off.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
But though the home’s master bedroom was ransacked, the assailants never took the hair mogul’s valuable watch on his wrist, piquing the interest of detectives, said then-Robbery Homicide Division Capt. Billy Hayes.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
At the same time, Ani’s defiant refusal to warm to her assailant feeds into another rom-com formula: the love story that flowers out of an adversarial relationship.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for assailant 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 4 Oct. 2024
Moments later, the assailant shot Marlene in the mouth and calmly walked to the LeBaron parked in the driveway and drove off.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
But though the home’s master bedroom was ransacked, the assailants never took the hair mogul’s valuable watch on his wrist, piquing the interest of detectives, said then-Robbery Homicide Division Capt. Billy Hayes.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
At the same time, Ani’s defiant refusal to warm to her assailant feeds into another rom-com formula: the love story that flowers out of an adversarial relationship.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for assailant
Dictionary Entries Near assailant
Cite this Entry
“Assailant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assailant. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt
: a person who commits criminal assault
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share